Discourse demonstrating the Son's equality with the Father
John 5: 19-47
"John 5: 17-47. These verses reveal the ultimate reason Jesus confronted the Jews' religious hypocrisy, I.e., the opportunity to declare who He was. This section is Christ's own personal statement of His deity. As such, it is one of the greatest Christological discourses in Scripture. Herein Jesus makes five claims to equality with God: (1) He is equal with God in His person (vv. 17, 18); (2) He is equal with God in His works (vv. 19, 20); (3) He is equal with God in His power and sovereignty (v. 22); and (5) He is equal with God in His honor (v. 23)."1 -- John MacArthur
Because of the truths that He has spoken in the previous verses, He is able to make the statement in verse 24 that He is able to bring those who believe from death to life. If Jesus was anyone but God He would not be able to make the claim that He can raise the dead. The NASB does a good job in getting the idea from the Greek across, the individuals to whom Christ is referring pass away from death, and pass into life, and life eternal. Notice that the tense is the present tense, they have passed from one state to another, already, so it has already become a reality. Those who have entered into eternal life are no longer condemned, nor will they ever be (Romans 8: 1; Col. 1: 13).
"5: 25-29. The theme of these verses is resurrection. Jesus related that all men, saved and unsaved, will be literally and physically resurrected from the dead. However, only the saved experience a spiritual ("born again"), as well as physical, resurrection unto eternal life. The unsaved will be resurrected unto judgment and eternal punishment through separation from God, i.e., the second death (cf. Rev. 20: 6, 14; 21: 8). These verses also constitute proof of the deity of Jesus Christ since the Son has resurrection power (vv. 25, 26), and the Father has granted Him the status of Judge of all mankind (v. 27). In the light of other Scripture, it is clear that Jesus speaks generally about resurrection, but not about one, general resurrection."1 -- John MacArthur
In verse 25 Jesus speaks of two realities, one that has already happened, and one that will happen in the future in regards to the resurrection. The hour that is spoken of that "is" is the "spiritual" resurrection that takes place when we are "born again". Before we are saved we are spiritually dead (Eph. 2: 1; Col. 2: 13), but once we are "born again" in the spirit we are alive spiritually, when before we were "dead". And the hour that is to come (1 Cor. 15: 35-54; Phil. 3: 29, 21) speaks to the resurrection of the dead that will happen during the second advent of Christ, when the dead will be raised out of the grave and be reunited with their "spirits". In both these cases the "dead" are responding to the voice of Christ which they hear through the preaching of the Gospel, and the shout of Christ upon His return.
"the dead - the spiritually dead, as is clear from John 5: 28. Here He rises from the calmer phrase "hearing his word" (John 5: 24), to the grander expression, "hearing the voice of the Son of God," to signify that as it finds men in a dead condition, so it carries with it a resurrection-power."² -- David Brown
Our Lord goes on to state that as the Father has power over life, and the power to give life, so does the Son (John 1:4; 6:57). And the Father has also turned over the task of judging mankind to the Son (John 9:39; Acts 10:42; 17:31). This authority was given over to the Son who is our High Priest that has suffered as we have suffered, and been tempted in every way as we are, and did not fail (Heb. 4: 14, 15). This appointment as Judge is one of the greatest demonstrations of divine wisdom, as our Judge is familiar with our physical nature. Remember Jesus is talking about Himself, and His relationship to the Father, there is no ambiguity in His claims to deity, and as His statement at the end of verse 27 reveals, it is because of this deity that He is able to claim His authority.
Verse twenty eight speaks to Christ's agreement with, and submission to the Father. He states that He does nothing on His own initiative. He seeks only the will of the Father in all of His activities, even His judgments are based on the Father's will. This complete agreement with, as well as submission to the will of the Father gives us an insight into the agreement within the Trinity which has always been in existence. Every act that Christ performs is in direct agreement with the Father, and He never seeks His own will, but only the will of the Father. This is also part of the doctrine of propitiation as He is able to obey perfectly in our place.
In verse thirty one our Lord says that if He alone is the only one who has testified to these things then His testimony is not true, this is not to say that He cannot speak truly. In the Law in order to prove guilt, or innocence there must be two or more reliable witnesses, less does not bare out the burden of proof. Jesus is allowing for their human limitations and saying that He is not the only one who has born witness to His identity, and therefore His authority. In the following verses Jesus is pointing to four "witnesses" to His divine identity and authority.
John the Baptist bore witness to Christ's identity (John 1:7, 15, 19, 32; 3:26–30), but Jesus says to them in effect, he is just a man who you respected, but I am going to show you who has witnessed about me, whom you cannot refute, namely the very works that He has performed which could only have been performed by someone who had been sent by God, so therefore, His works bore witness to His identity as one who has been sent by the Father.
Jesus reveals that the Father Himself has testified about Him (Matt 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; 24:27; John 8:18; 1 John 5:9). God's voice was heard after His baptism, as well as the Spirit descending upon Him in a shape like a dove.
And the Scriptures themselves have born witness of Him.
"5: 39 You search. Although the verb "search" could also be understood as a command (I.e., "Search the Scriptures!"), most prefer this translation as an indicative. The verb implies diligent scrutiny in investigating the Scriptures to find "eternal life." However, Jesus points out that with all their fastidious effort, they miserably failed in their understanding of the true way to eternal life through the Son of God."1 -- John MacArthur
Although they searched the Scriptures for the way to eternal life, they rejected the person to whom the Scriptures referred, as the way to eternal life. Jesus is the central theme of the Scriptures. They were looking for a great king who would bring about a golden age of Israel, and conquer all of their enemies, but Jesus was not here to please men, He was here to do the work of the Father.
Moses was one of the greatest heroes of the Jews, and wrote the first five books of the Scriptures which pointed to Jesus, yet they did not believe in the One who was sent, the One to whom Moses was pointing. Those who sought salvation in the Law of Moses will be judged according to the Law of Moses, rather than by Grace like those who believed on Him. Jesus implies that they did not truly believe in Moses, for if they did they would know Him for who He is. But since they obviously did not believe what was written about Him by Moses, how could they believe in Him?
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¹John MacArthur; The MacArthur Bible Commentary; Copyright Ó 2005; published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
²David Brown; Parallel Classic Commentary on the New Testament; compiled and edited by Mark Water; AMG Publishers; Copyright Ó 2004 John Hunt Publishing Ltd., page 459
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